Team News

Liberty Men's Soccer to Face VMI in Big South Match, Tuesday

The Liberty Flames men's soccer team will make the short trip over the Blue Ridge Mountains for a Big South Conference match against the VMI Keydets, Tuesday. The Flames will be looking to extend a three-game winning streak. Match time is scheduled for 4 p.m.

How to Follow the Flames Live Stats will be available for Tuesday afternoon's contest via LibertyFlames.com by clicking the live stats link under men's soccer in the schedule bar on the main page. Live stats are provided courtesy of the VMI Athletic Communications office.

A Look at Liberty Liberty (5-6, 3-1 Big South) will enter Tuesday's Big South match, looking to extend a three-game winning streak. During the streak, the Flames have allowed only one goal. This past Friday, forward Kyle Breitmeyer scored both goals and goalkeeper Scott Sutarik stopped a penalty kick during the closing minutes in a 2-1 win at Presbyterian College. The foward has scored the game-winner in each of Liberty's victories during its winning streak. Breitmeyer leads Liberty with five goals and 11 points on the year. He has netted a goal in four out of the last five games. Sam Duininck and Greg White have each netted two goals apiece for the Flames, while midfielder Juan Niño and Uriah Bentick have each scored a goal. Freshman defender Tim Harbison has assisted on three of the Flames' markers to lead the squad. Goalkeeper Scott Sutarik has logged over 738 minutes in the Liberty net. He enters Tuesday's match with a 1.34 goals-against average and .738 save percentage. Sutarik and the Flames have allowed only one goal over their past three games. Head Coach Jeff Alder has led the Flames to a 113-85-19 record during his 12 seasons, capturing his 100th victory in a 2-0 win at No. 10 Virginia last season. Alder's Flames posted an 11-6-3 record in 2011, en route to their second Big South Conference crown and fifth consecutive season with a double-digit win total.

All-Time Against VMI Tuesday's meeting will be the 19th meeting between Liberty and the Keydets in men's soccer. Liberty holds a 16-1-2 all-time record in the series, which started in 1975. Despite the Flames advantage in the series, matches between the two teams have been tightly contested over the past four years. Three of the last four contests have gone to overtime. Last season, the two played to a scoreless tie in Lynchburg. In 2010, Liberty defeated VMI, 1-0, in overtime in Lexington.

A Look at VMI The Keydets (1-10-1, 0-5-1 Big South) will close out a three-game homestand, looking to win their first Big South contest of the year, Tuesday against the Flames. VMI has dropped contests to Radford (2-0) and Coastal Carolina (8-0) during the homestand, thus far. Blake McCauley and Andrew Starnes lead the Keydets with two goals each. Daniel Kitchen has seen the majority of the playing time as the VMI goalkeeper. Kitchen has logged over 603 minutes, posting a 3.43 goals-against average. Head coach Richie Rose is in his third year at VMI and has led VMI to a 5-37-5.

Breitmeyer Finds His Touch Forward Kyle Breitmeyer scored twice on Friday, propelling Liberty to a 2-1 win over Presbyterian College. It is the first time in his career that the forward has had two or more goals in a contest. Breitmeyer has netted the game-winner in each of the last three Liberty contests and has scored all five of his goals this season in the last five games. He leads the Flames with five goals and 11 points on the year.

Finishing with Conference A week ago, Liberty closed out non-conference action with a 1-0 victory over American. The Flames will complete the 2012 campaign with seven consecutive Big South contests, starting on a high note with Friday's 2-1 win at Presbyterian College. The Flames enter Tuesday's match with a 3-1 conference record. Coastal Carolina and Radford top the Big South standings with 6-0 conference records.

A Look Ahead The Flames complete their string of three consecutive Big South road contests, Saturday afternoon. Liberty will travel to Rock Hill, S.C., for a match with the Winthrop Eagles. The contest is scheduled for 2 p.m.